A fun twist on the traditional old fashioned pinwheel cookies, these Rainbow Pinwheel Sugar Cookies are bright and colorful along with being the best sugar cookie recipe. While they look difficult to make, Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies are actually easy.
Rainbow Pinwheel Sugar Cookies
When I saw the preview for Disney’s new Inside Out movie I knew it would be the perfect movie to take my daughter to for her first movie. I wanted to get her excited about going to see it so I figured I would turn her favorite Frozen swirl cookies into Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies aka Inside Out cookies. I used the colors of each of the characters to make the swirl in these Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies, however, you can use any colors you want to.
These pinwheel cookies are one of my favorite cookies to bring to a cookie swap, they are delicious cookies that everyone loves and they are so easy to make. When you see how easy it is to make you will be bringing them to any cookie exchange parties that you have during the holiday season, or just because you want a fun festive pinwheels cookie recipe that will wow everyone.
What are Pinwheel cookies?
Pinwheel cookies are a slice and bake sugar cookies that are rolled with multiple layers of colored cookie dough to form a swirled sugar cookie. These easy pinwheel cookies can be colored to any color that you want them to be to match any party or holiday you are celebrating. These beautiful cookies are one of our favorites to make every year.
Tips for making Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies
Sticky dough. The dough will be sticky, you need to make sure you are really keeping the dough cold to make the butter firm.
Use Parchment paper. When you roll out the dough you want to make sure you are rolling it in between the parchment paper or wax paper or it will stick to your rolling pin.
Don’t cut out the chill time. After you roll it out the dough you need to place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour. If for some reason the dough is too squishy feeling you can add a 1/2 cup of flour to the dough.
Room temperature butter. It is important to use room temperature butter when you are making these cookies.
Use a sharp knife. When you are cutting the edges of the cookie it is best done with a sharp knife.
How do you roll pinwheel cookies?
When you are rolling pinwheel cookies it is actually quite easy. You will make each color dough you are using, then you will roll the dough into a flat piece and stack the dough colors on top of each other. Then using your hands roll the layered cookie dough into a roll.
How to Slice Homemade Slice and Bake cookies
These cookies do not use cookie cutters to make the shape. Once the roll of cookie dough is formed with the layers of colors, the roll of cookie dough is sliced into slices. These festive pinwheel cookies are easy to make sugar cookies that after making the dough you just slice the cookie dough log into cookie slices and bake.
How to add flavors to Pinwheel Cookies
If you want to change the flavor of the pinwheel cookies you can easily by changing out the vanilla extract for a different flavor clear extract. Peppermint and coconut extracts are others that we love to use. You can also make them lemon flavored by adding lemon extract and some lemon zest. If you are wanting an orange flavored sugar cookie you can use orange zest and orange extract.
Holiday Colored Pinwheel Cookies
We love making our Christmas Pinwheel Cookies and our Winter Themed pinwheel cookies but you can easily adjust the colors for every holiday.
Use Orange, yellow and leave one section of dough uncolored to make Candy Corn themed pinwheel cookies.
Use Orange, bright green, and black to make Halloween pinwheel cookies.
How to Store Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies
Baked pinwheel cookies need to be stored in an airtight container. These cookies will keep for one week on the counter in an airtight container.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
You can make these pinwheel cookies ahead of time and then keep the cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 days in the fridge. Just follow the steps until the rolling step, roll the dough together, and then wrap the sugar cookie dough roll in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Bake per directions when you are ready to bake them.
Can I Freeze Pinwheel Cookies?
If you are wanting to make the cookies ahead of time and freeze them you can. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
You can freeze the cookie dough as a cookie dough log and wrap well with plastic wrap and put into a freezer bag. Or you can slice the cookies and then place them on a cookie sheet and freeze. Then remove from the cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag and store in the freezer bag in the freezer. Before baking from being frozen, remove the cookie from the freezer and thaw for 30 minutes before baking. Unbaked cookie dough will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Can I use an Electric Hand mixer?
While I prefer to use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, you can use an electric mixer with a medium bowl for creaming the sugar and butter and a large bowl for mixing the dry ingredients.
What supplies do I need to Make Pinwheel cookies?
You will need parchment paper, a rolling pin and baking sheets.
Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- granulated sugar
- butter (2 sticks)
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- food coloring in the colors you want the layers to be
- rainbow sprinkles
Rainbow Swirl Sugar Cookies Directions
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to combine butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Normally takes about 5 minutes.
Once the sugar and butter are creamed together, add the egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate large bowl add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture, mix well.
Once the dough is made, divide dough into five equal parts.
Color the cookie dough with food coloring so you end up with one yellow, red, purple, green, and blue cookie dough balls. A dough ball of each color you are using.
Take one color of cookie dough at a time and place it on top of a piece of parchment paper, place another piece of parchment paper on top. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to be 11 x 9 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Once the dough is rolled out, place on a baking sheet still in the parchment paper.
Repeat the rolling steps for each color.
Once all of the cookie dough colors are rolled out and placed in a stack on a baking sheet refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, it can be left in the fridge longer.
Remove the chilled cookie dough and remove the top sheet of parchment paper from each cookie dough color.
Lay the first color dough you are using on the counter with the bottom piece of parchment paper still under it.
Lightly wet the top of the cookie dough with a little bit of water using your fingers.
Take the second color you are using and place cookie dough side down on top of the cookie dough layer you already have, remove the layer of parchment paper and Lightly wet the top of the cookie dough with a little bit of water using your fingers. Repeat until all the colors of cookie dough sheets. Leaving the parchment paper on the top of the last layer you place on the stack.
Gentely push the colors down so the dough layers stick together.
Using a paring knife trim the edges to make straight edges on all sides.
Remove the top layer of parchment paper and start rolling up the dough to form a dough log, use the bottom layer of parchment paper to pull it tight. If the dough tears, you can just pinch it together.
Place sprinkles onto a large platter or palte and roll the log onto the sprinkles and press them in to the outside of the cookie dough roll.
Place the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes or longer. – Do NOT Skip this step!
Then slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes.
Remove the baked cookies from the cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before storing.
Sugar Cookies Recipes
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipes
- Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
- Zombie Sugar Cookies
- Minion Cookies
- Jack Skellington Cookies
- Chocolate crinkle cookies
Cookie Making Supplies
Want delicious cookies that come out perfect every time? Check out some of our favorite tools to make super easy cookies with fun decorations!
Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- yellow food coloring
- red food coloring
- purple food coloring
- green food coloring
- blue food coloring
- 1 cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to combine butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Normally takes about 5 minutes.
- Once the sugar and butter are creamed together, add the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl add the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Next, add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture, mix well.
- Once the dough is made, divide dough into five equal parts.
- Color the cookie dough with food coloring so you end up with one yellow, red, purple, green, and blue cookie dough balls. A dough ball of each color you are using.
- Take one color of cookie dough at a time and place it on top of a piece of parchment paper, place another piece of parchment paper on top. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to be 11 x 9 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Once the dough is rolled out, place on a baking sheet still in the parchment paper.
- Repeat the rolling steps for each color.
- Once all of the cookie dough colors are rolled out and placed in a stack on a baking sheet refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, it can be left in the fridge longer.
- Remove the chilled cookie dough and remove the top sheet of parchment paper from each cookie dough color.
- Lay the first color dough you are using on the counter with the bottom piece of parchment paper still under it.
- Lightly wet the top of the cookie dough with a little bit of water using your fingers.
- Take the second color you are using and place cookie dough side down on top of the cookie dough layer you already have, remove the layer of parchment paper and Lightly wet the top of the cookie dough with a little bit of water using your fingers. Repeat until all the colors of cookie dough sheets. Leaving the parchment paper on the top of the last layer you place on the stack.
- Gentely push the colors down so the dough layers stick together.
- Using a paring knife trim the edges to make straight edges on all sides.
- Remove the top layer of parchment paper and start rolling up the dough to form a dough log, use the bottom layer of parchment paper to pull it tight. If the dough tears, you can just pinch it together.
- Place sprinkles onto a large platter or palte and roll the log onto the sprinkles and press them in to the outside of the cookie dough roll.
- Place the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes or longer. – Do NOT Skip this step!
- Then slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes.
- Remove the baked cookies from the cookie sheet and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before storing.
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